The Academic Life of a Social Media Graduate Student

The Story that Stayed With Me

I am often moved by stories that “jolt” me. They wake up something inside me that stirs up my passion to help others, which typically involves animals and/or children. These stories are often incredibly written or spoken, offering a call-to-action that is hard to say “no” to.

My assignment this week is to discuss a story that moved me, or caused me to take action. Obviously, I started thinking about the most recent articles or books I’ve read; but Food Inc., a documentary that I watched about 6 years ago, is what stayed in my mind. I’m sure you’ve heard of it before, since it’s been out for 7 or 8 years or so and was nominated for an Academy Award.

This story showcases our society’s detachment from the original source of our foods, and how much we rely on the convenience and low price of a fast food meal. During the time this documentary was released, the economy was struggling, and families were trying to save money wherever they could. Because of this, you’d think the documentary’s message would go in one ear and out the other. However, there seemed to be a simultaneous push for more organic options in grocery stores and fast food restaurants began to include more information on the sources of their food.

Unfortunately, this topic is often preached to the choir. Consumers who already know the story and have shopped organic for years are the ones who often are the audience of documentaries like these. But the Food, Inc. story was so incredibly engaging, it reached a crowd that others couldn’t…a crowd that really needed to hear it. As a college student on a college budget, I was a part of this crowd. Nonetheless, I was intrigued by this story, and started taking more responsibility on educating myself about what I eat.

What sticks with me about this story, to this day, is the video footage that accompanied the story to strengthen their message. The images are ingrained in my head still. And it was definitely effective, because I have yet to consume Tyson branded anything since that day, and continue to stay informed on my food sources. This story pops up in the back of my head when shopping at the grocery store and arguing with myself on whether I should save money and get the more inexpensive cut of meat, or spend a little more to know where my chicken came from…I choose the latter, thanks to my Food, Inc. reminder.